Key reference or plan

Strategy Spotlight: Millicoma Dace

Photo Credit: Doug Markle

Tiny but not Forgotten

Millicoma dace are tiny forage fish found only in the Coos and Millicoma rivers. It had been nearly 20 years since anyone checked in on this Oregon native, but in 2014 ODFW’s Native Fish Investigations Program (NFIP) and the Charleston Fish District partnered with Oregon State University to survey the fish.

Along with two OSU students and Bureau of Land Management biologists, ODFW surveyed the Coos and Millicoma rivers and found the dace in 16 of the 18 sites sampled.

Preliminary estimates suggest there were from 20 to 400 fish per location and the known distribution now covers approximately 40 stream miles including locations further upstream than previously thought.

Researchers believe the fact these tiny dace were found in reasonably large numbers indicates they’re healthy. Historically, they were probably more abundant, but what they found now doesn’t indicate the population is in any imminent danger.

All information on this website is considered DRAFT pending USFWS approval.